Survey Says

An exciting announcement! Due to popular demand we will be introducing a new feature set into Recall System Pro. Patient Surveys!

We are hard at work getting this ready for a late 2013 launch. Combining our existing comprehensive recall solution with the ability to garner patient feedback just makes sense and is a welcome addition to our offering. Included in the launch will be:

1. The ability for patients to complete a survey post visit.

2. E-mail notification when a new survey is completed.

3. The ability for a patient to recommend a friend to your practice.

4. The ability for a patient to write a dentist recommendation.

5. A dashboard that will house all surveys and responses so that practice performance can be monitored and tracked.

 Stay tuned for the official launch announcement.

Competitive Advantage

In today’s economy, you will find companies across a wide range of industries that have acquired competitive advantage with their industry groups and are doing phenomenally well.   

Studies demonstrate that many of these organizations acquired competitive advantage as a result of their continued focus and commitment to consistently providing their customers with quality products and services.

 On average, these organizations:

• Charge  10% -15% more for their products and services.
• Continually experience growth in their market share.
• Are more efficient and profitable than their competitors.
• Tend to be the leading innovators within their industry groups.

There have been slow downs for many of these companies but no recession.  The one factor that many of these organizations have in common is that they adopted "quality" and "service" as  a foundation for their business strategy - and have never looked back.

Maintaining Composure

Consistently delivering great dentistry while delivering great service is not an easy task to accomplish as an individual and it becomes even more complex and challenging as a group. 

One of the essential factors involved with providing high standards of service is your ability to maintain composure in the face of day to day problems and the ebbs and flows of daily activity.

Maintaining composure while focusing on problem solving and clearly communicating with teammates is the only effective method of dealing with problem situations without compromising the level of service provided to patients.

Reducing No Shows / Cancellations

If you are a practice experiencing a high percentage of cancellations or patients failing to show for their appointments we have something that can help. The reason we organize the confirmation lists the way we do in Recall System Pro is so that if you so choose, you can reach out to patients sooner. Giving them a bit more notice to honor their appointment.

From our experience, there is a direct correlation between late confirmations and cancellations and no shows - meaning the sooner an appointment is confirmed, the less likely the patient will miss the appointment. A little bit of focus on your one week list can make a huge impact on your missed/cancelled appointments. 

If during the attempt to confirm the patient requires movement, you have more time to deal with the request and can use features like our short notice tool to fill the gap that is created.

Personal Satisfaction and Practice Success

We believe personal satisfaction in a dental practice is dependent upon your individual and collective ability to consistently deliver high standards of treatment, service and care to your patients.  Doing so also leads to long term and lasting success.

Providing high standards of quality and service is rewarded by patient loyalty and the satisfaction of knowing that one is part of a team that can work together effectively towards a common goal.  Payoffs associated to adopting this type of approach include:

• High patient retention.
• Increased patient referrals and new patient flow.
• Growing patient demand for comprehensive dental services.
• Sustained practice performance over time.
• Insulation against recessionary factors and 3^rd party intervention.

There is no question that adopting  a quantity and service approach to practcie management secures your practices market position and provides competitive advantage.  The future is bright and holds ample opportunity for all dental practices that are able to consistently deliver high standards of treatment, service and care to their patients.

In committing yourselves to achieving quality and service excellence, you are not competing against a practice down the street, you are competing against the standards you set for yourselves.

                                    “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Gucci Family Slogan

The Power of Influence

The acceptance of personal responsibility for ones’ conduct and influence on the workplace has a very real and powerful impact on the overall success of a dental practice.  This influence in and of itself can hold a practice back or propel a practice forward. 

Through our attitudes, communication and behavior, each staff member plays a central role in the process of either contributing to or detracting from the dental work environment and realization of goals.  There is no neutral influence.

Realizing a healthy and productive work environment involves all staff members accepting personal responsibility for the quality of their working relationships and the influence of their conduct (attitude, communication and behavior) on the workplace.

Leadership and self management are synonymous.  Practicing the attributes of leadership leads to greater personal freedom and satisfaction for all staff members.

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others; it's the only thing.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Albert Schweitzer

Leadership and Self Management

The opportunity for leadership in your practice is not restricted by anyone’s position or decision making authority.  Leadership represents an opportunity for all staff members to grow as individuals and contribute value to the workplace.

Key attributes of leadership and self management include:

• The ability to maintain focus towards goals and objectives.
• A commitment to maintaining high expectations of self and others.
• Consistency and follow through – service and systems.
• Keeping ones' word – following through with promises or commitments.
• Acknowledgement and correction of mistakes.
• Demonstrating initiative - solving problems vs. complaining or waiting for others to fix them.
• Demonstrating honesty and responsibility in dealing with issues or concerns.
• Acceptance of personal responsibility for ones’ conduct and influence on the workplace.

Turning a Follow Up into a Reminder

Recently we have had a wave of clients that are looking for a way to use Recall System Pro to help with past due follow ups - essentially turning them into a reminder. Here's a suggestion:

Use the Recall System Pro Follow Up feature - let's use payment collection as an example.

Choose the date in which you would like the payment collected by and select the 'collection of payment' reason for the follow up. If the payment is not collected by the specific date - DO NOT remove the patient from the follow up list and Recall System Pro will remind you to collect payment every time you open the patient's file (the 'manage tasks' icon will glow orange in the top left) until the follow up is completed - we can now extend this follow up to remain in Recall System Pro for up to 1 year past the follow up date (please call if you'd like this extended time activated on your account).

Using the glowing 'manage tasks' icon is a great way to turn a follow up into a reminder. Save unnecessary re-work or prevent patient contact that is uniformed.

Stay tuned for more helpful hints :)

Ongoing Learning

Achieving excellence requires staff members’ individual commitment to ongoing learning, development and growth which is  aspired to for its own intrinsic value. 

Ongoing learning includes acquiring the knowledge and skills that are necessary to provide high standards of treatment, service and care to patients as well as contribute leadership and value to the workplace.

Many of the skills, attitudes and behaviors that enable us to be more effective as individuals in the workplace apply to other aspects of our lives.  Ongoing learning results in increased confidence and capabilities that enable us to become more satisfied and effective in all facets of our lives.

 “It's what you learn after you know it all - that counts.”

                    John Wooden                                                                                                                                                          

Continuous Improvement

In order to provide patients with excellence in treatment, service and care and realize high levels of productivity, it is necessary for each and every staff member to adopt an attitude of continuous improvement.

This means adopting an attitude that no matter how well you feel you may be doing, you can always improve your standards without diminishing the value of what you have achieved in the past.

Continuous improvement requires an ongoing process of improving the systems, policies and processes of your practice.  This means that in addition to working  In  your practice, you must also focus as a group towards working  On your practice. This requires a commitment by every team member to take greater responsibility for continually enhancing your systems, policies and procedures. 

 "Quality is not something you install like a new carpet or a set of bookshelves, quality is something you work at.  It is a learning process."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Dr. W. Edwards Deming

More Than Messaging?

A common question is asked when I take potential clients through a tour of Recall System Pro - and it's a good one.

"Why should I consider a product that does more than messaging?"

It's asked so often in fact, that I thought I would provide some feedback here. The fact of the matter, which by the way isn't so publicly known, is that automated messaging (e-mail and text) doesn't quite have the impact that is advertised by most. Don't get me wrong, it does add value, it will reduce the number of calls office staff will need to make but what's interesting is just how many patients you can reach with messaging.

An average practice can expect to reach just over half of their patients by e-mail (assuming e-mail collection is a focus at your practice) of which 60% respond if they have an appointment and 15% respond if they don't.

So, when it comes to getting patients back in the practice, 15% is shockingly low, it took us quite a while to wrap our heads around this percentage. When you start to think about it, patients not only receive messages from your practice, but every other store or website that has asked for it and when there's no appointment involved, it starts to make sense. Patient recall requires a comprehensive system in which automated messaging is a component of - not the solution to. 

Common Causes of Workplace Problems and Job Stress

Quality research estimates that 25% to 35% of work that people typically do in a day is rework - time spent dealing with problems that result from things not working properly in the first place.  This type of work is costly for  dental practices and stressful and frustrating for team members.

The majority of these problems can be directly traced to various types of systems problems:

• The lack of properly defined systems.
• Poorly defined or designed systems.
• Inconsistency in following systems that are defined.

System problems directly effect the quality of treatment, service and care provided to patients as well as represent a major source of stress, conflict and miscommunication that occurs among staff members on a day to day basis.

The only way to consistently provide patients with high standards of treatment, service and care and break free from a stressful dental work environment is to ensure your systems are properly defined and followed.

Boosting Practice Productivity

Attempting to manage a dental practice by the numbers alone is an exercise in futility.  The productivity of a dental practice is directly related to:

• How well the systems of a practice are defined.
• How well systems are followed.
• Training of staff members.

Enhancing practice productivity and stimulating growth requires a focus on improving the systems of a practice as well as investing into the training and development of staff members in order for results to be achieved and sustained over the long term.

It is impossible to enhance the productivity of a practice and sustain growth without a focused approach on improving systems.  Swings in practice productivity typically result from focusing on strategies that drive production without focusing on improving practice systems. 

Production driven strategies are typically short lived and do not compare with gains that are sustained over the long term by focusing on improving systems.

Recognition and Acknowledgement

Providing one another with recognition and acknowledgement is essential to creating a healthy and productive work environment as well as supporting one another in sustaining a commitment to quality and excellence.

This involves making an ongoing effort of looking for what is working in your practice and sharing these insights with one another regardless of how busy or preoccupied you become with the day to day operations of your practice.  It is very easy in busy and demanding dental practices to get caught up in what's not working and lose sight of what is.

Taking the time to recognize individual improvements or contributions contributes to a positive working environment as well as the growth of your practice.  Setting aside some time to do this as part of your regular meetings is the perfect time and place to do so.

Rethinking Your Working Relationships

Achieving excellence in the treatment, service and care of patients requires that practices organize their view of work and working relationships around systems and processes versus job descriptions limited to a certain position or area.

Ones’ position in a practice is secondary to the role that one plays in the overall system of consistently delivering high standards of treatment, service and care to patients.  From a systems perspective, everyone plays an equal and important role in the process of providing treatment, service and care to patients and everyone is equally dependent upon everyone else in order to get the job done.

 “For organizations to excel, people have to understand it is in their collective best interests to cooperate; they must be more concerned with how the system as a whole operates versus just optimizing their own little piece.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Brian L. Joiner

Defining a System

A system does not describe a thing – like a noun.  A system is more like a verb - a system describes a method or way of doing things that you and your team have sorted out in advance will solve a problem area in your practcie or make your practice function in a specific area in a hihgly effective way.  Systems take time to get properly defined and implemented and require input from everyone involved in order to function well - but the payoff's are huge. 

Without systems, it is impossible to consistently provide patients with high standards of treatment, service and care or maintain a stress free and productive work environment.  Systems are the foundation upon which clinical, operational and productivity goals are realized.  This includes:

• Developing systems that result in the effective delivery of treatment, service and care to patients.
• Developing systems that enable staff members to work together effectively, grow and develop as a team.
• Developing systems that maximize the productivity and profitability of practices.

Once defined, it is essential that systems are rigorously followed and improved upon when necessary.

 “Without a system, people have no objective understanding of their work and what is expected of them.  As a result, people are forced to do the best they can, which of course varies vastly from individual to individual.  Without a system, you are playing Russian roulette with the results you deliver to your customers.”

“Conscious organizations are those that possess a clear Vision and manifest that Vision through highly integrated systems.  They hold their people accountable for the effective utilization of those systems.  They collectively modify, improve and reinvent their systems when needed.  They seek and acquire learning, growth and intelligence through the process." 

"Unconscious organizations are those that are unclear about their Vision and possess few systems.  They generally experience chaos, confusion, disruption and disorder.  These organizations seek solutions to problems and rarely come up with anything better than quick fixes."

Michael Gerber, The E Myth Manager

The Pursuit of Excellence

Perfection is not possible, however, achieving quality and excellence is. 

Achieving quality and excellence is the outcome of the consistent application of knowledge, skills and effort over time – there are no short cuts, there are no quick fixes.  The opposite of excellence is mediocrity and there is no middle ground - at any given time, you are headed in one direction or the other.

Pursing quality and excellence requires that every team member maintains high expectations of themselves and others related to the standards of treatment, service and care provided to patients.  This demands developing an attitude of “relaxed intensity” among team members to ensure consistency of focus.

I consider the pursuit of quality and excellence a worthwhile endeavor that not only contributes to practice success, it also contributes to personal and professional growth.  In pursuing quality and excellence, the journey is as important as the destination.

“A person who sees Quality and feels it as they work is a person who cares."

                                                                                                 Robert M. Pirsig

“The costs of poor quality are tangible; poor quality will cost you customers and money, and ultimately affect the success of your business.”

                                                                                              Subir Chowdhury

Tell Us What You Think!

We have had quite a few product enhancements over the years that have happened as a result of clients working with Recall System Pro not hesitating to offer up valuable feedback.

I'd just like to take a moment to thank all those that have been a part of making Recall System Pro what it is today and to encourage future feedback as we continue to strive to be the best patient recall product in the marketplace. Feel free to reach out to me directly (jeff@recallsystem.com) with any and all suggestions because at the end of the day, the true Recall System Pro experts are those that are working with the software on a daily basis.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Feedback, Coaching and Support

Achieving quality and excellence requires ongoing feedback, coaching and support from our peers. 

This involves not only being prepared to provide one another with responsible feedback and coaching, it also requires being open to receiving feedback and coaching when provided.

Effective and satisfying coaching relationships require that each and very team member:

• Maintain high expectations of themselves and other team members related to the standards of treatment, service and care provided to patients.
• Bringing to the attention of your teammates (in a responsible and supportive manner) when the team is not performing as well as it could be in serving patients or following systems.
• Supporting other team members to comply with the systems and policies of your practice or proactively and constructively change them.
• Providing other team members with open, honest and responsible communication related to an issue or concern you may have.
• Not participating in gossiping or other communication and behavior that undermines the working environment of your practice and suggesting that other team members do the same.

Maximize Your Practice Potential

Maximizing the productivity, profitability and potential of your practice requires the balanced pursuit of several interdependent goals:

Clinical goals – goals that enable your practice to provide patients with high standards of treatment and care; enable staff to acquire satisfaction and meaning from their work.

Service goals – goals that enable your practice to provide patients with high standards of service; enable your practice to compete and secure its position in the market place.

Organizational / Workplace goals – goals that enable your practice to operate efficiently; enable staff members to work together effectively as a team; enable staff members to acquire satisfaction from the work environment.

Business / Financial goals – goals that enable your practice to do well and provide a financially stable work environment; enable your practice to keep up with advancements in dentistry and provide for future needs.

The balance pursuit of these goals are essential to fully maximizing the success of your practice and experiencing satisfaction as a group of people working together.